Chicago Fire tries to pump some heat into ailing offense

Costa Rica International Paulo Wanchope, known for finding the goal, to join team in time for Aug. 4 game.

During more certain times for the Fire, the guaranteed facts were easy to find.

Wins came surprisingly easy under former head coach Dave Sarachan, Chris Rolfe was a sure-fire bet for the midseason Major League Soccer All-Star Game, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco was still roaming the midfields of Mexican First Division.

Then came the Fire’s 3-1 lowly stumble on the road May 12 against Toronto FC, a game in which Rolfe suffered a frightening ankle injury and critics first began wondering whether Sarachan was the right man to lead the Fire with the arrival of the Mexican star looming on the horizon.

The team has won just one of nine MLS games since that day in Toronto, has released Sarachan in favor of Juan Carlos Osorio and finally welcomed Blanco after a costly three-week delay.

The changes compounded even more on Friday, when the Fire ended two weeks of flirtation with Costa Rica international Paulo Wanchope by signing the 31-year-old forward to become the team’s fourth and final senior international player.

MLS rules forbid contract terms to be disclosed, but this much is certain: The move is the latest in a series of attempts by a struggling Fire squad to lift the second-worst offense in the league out of the doldrums.

The Fire (4-8-4) will be without Wanchope when it returns to the scene of the first signs of struggles against Toronto FC (5-8-4) at 2 p.m. today.

Wanchope is expected to be available for the Fire’s Aug. 4 game against the Columbus Crew.

Highly regarded for his presence in the air and knack for finding the goal, the 6-foot-4 Wanchope is a veteran of two World Cups with Costa Rica (2002, 2006) and 72 overall international matches with his native squad. He’s also a well-traveled veteran of both the English Premier League and the Spanish First Division.

His success, however, has also been met with bouts of inconsistency in recent seasons. He’s played largely on the fringe of the world’s top leagues since leaving Spain’s Malaga CF in 2005, including stints in Argentina, Qatar, Costa Rica and most recent, Japan.

Still, Wanchope’s imposing size and the talent shown as a burgeoning youngster nine years ago was too much to overlook for the Fire, who have managed just 13 goals in 16 matches this season.

“Even back to when (Sarachan) was still here, we have talked about acquiring another forward for a long time,” Fire president/CEO John Guppy said. “I think (Wanchope) looks at this as an exciting and unique challenge in a league that has a very intense spotlight on it right now.”

Wanchope’s career overlapped with that of Osorio for four seasons at Manchester City, where Osorio served as an assistant coach from 2001-06.

“This is a case of our coach already knowing a new player very well, and knowing how his strengths can help our system,” Guppy said. “He’s (Wanchope) a proven goal-scorer. Blanco is a playmaker, but he’s not a pure goal-scorer. We think Paulo can give us that.”

Veteran defender Jim Curtin (shoulder) was placed on the season-ending injury list to make room on the roster for Wanchope.

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